Addressing the Local Government Association conference last week, Education Secretary Michael Gove promised local authorities a strategic role overseeing all schools. But he has yet to outline exactly how new academies' and free schools' freedoms will impact on councils' ability to hold such schools to account.
Kim Bromley-Derry, immediate past president of the Association of Directors of Children's Services (ADCS), said that schools and councils need clarity on the government's plans.
"We would hope to know where the government thinks this journey will end sooner rather than later," he explained. "Why can't the freedoms and flexibilities apply to all schools?"
Bromley-Derry added that councils are open to taking on a new role within the education system, providing they retain responsibility for either delivering or commissioning functions such as admissions, exclusions and school improvement across all schools.
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